Australia vs India, 1st Test: 3 Takeaways from Day 3

#1. Ashwin has a pivotal role to play on day 4 and 5

Ashwin has a huge role to play on day 4 and 5

Ravichandran Ashwin was irresistible at times on Day 3. The turn, coupled with the drift he procured made life difficult for the Australian batsmen.

On Day 3, Lyon extracted prodigious turn from the Adelaide pitch. The Australian got the ball to turn and bounce frequently and had a decent amount of ‘rough’ to work with. Even though he couldn’t accumulate the wickets he would’ve liked, Lyon was a threat throughout the day.

Hence, come Australia’s batting, Ashwin will have to be at the top of his game. Faced with a similar situation years ago in Johannesburg, the off-spinner failed spectacularly and more recently, a similar failure at Southampton wasn’t looked upon very kindly.

Tomorrow and day after, Ashwin will have another shot at redemption. The off-spinner from Tamil Nadu has been dubbed by many as the best off-spinner in the world. Yet, unless he wins India a Test in the SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand & Australia) countries, his name would always be mentioned with an asterisk.

The scene is set for Ashwin to carve a niche for himself and to his benefit, the pitch is hugely in favour. If Ashwin actually ‘turns’ the match for India or not is a question better left unanswered for now.

But one thing was made evidently clear on Day 3: Ashwin’s role is going to be paramount in the days to follow.